Apparatus for the electrical treatment of gases or vapors.



' W. T. HOOFNAGLE.

APPARATUS FOR THE ELECTRICAL TREATMENT OF GASES 0R VAPORS.

' APPLICATION FILED MAR. 12,1912.

1,051,810, Patented Jan.28, 1913.

LLIAH T. HOOFNAGLE, 0F GLEN RIDGE, NEW JERSEY.

APP .it.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that L'WILLIAM T. Hoor- ,NAGLE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Glen Ridge, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for the Electrical Treatment of Gases or Vapors, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in apparatus for treating gases and va rs electrically under pressures substantlally less than atmospheric pressure.

I11 my Patents Nos. 956,097 and 1,014,151 I have shown apparatus for exhausting vapors or gases continuously from a chamber and for electrically treating the attenuated vapors or gases while in the'chamber. Instead of drawing the gas or vapor in a continuous stream through the apparatus, and subjecting it to a continuous electrical discharge while in the vacuum chamber, as described in said prior patents, I have found that it is advantageous to draw the rarefied gas or vapor through the apparatus with an intermittent motion, in successive charges, and to subject each charge separately to the act-ion of the electric current while in the vacuum chamber. After a charge is drawn into the chamber the electric circuit is closed and an electrical discharge takes place through the rarefied gas in the chamber, the current being thereafter interrupted while this charge is being withdrawn from the chamber and another charge is being drawn into the chamber, after which the circuit is again closed through the new charge of gas or vapor and these steps are continuously repeated. In the treatment of air, for instance, for the purpose of causing a chemical combination of the oxygen and nitrogen, it'is desirable tog send the current through the rarefied air only for a short interval of time, and to then cut ofi' the current supply and remove the product so that it will not become mixed with the next incoming charge, or be again subjected to the influence of the electric current, and the apparatus is designed to carry out this urpose.

In the drawing and following specification I have shown and described my invention in connection with an apparatus for treating air in'a partial vacuum, but it will be understood that the apparatus is suitable for the electrical treatment of any gas or Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed March 12, 1912.

'I'US FOR THE ELECTRICAL TREATMENT OF GASES 0B VAPORS.

rammed Jan. 28, 1913.

Serial No. 683,395.

vapor which is subject to change when treated electrically.

Referring to the drawing, 1 indicates the cylinder 0 a double acting pump, 2 the piston and 3 the piston rod. In each cylinder head is arranged an inlet valve 4 and an outlet valve 5, these valves being normally held in closed positions by springs 48 and 5, respectively. The spring tension on these valves is very slight, so that they will open freely under slight fluid pressure during the operation of the pump. Pipes 6 and 7 connect the inlet ports of the pump cylinder with what may be termed vacuum chambers 8 and 9, respectively, each of said chambers having a smaller capacity than the cylinder of the pump. The walls of said chambers 8 and 9 are of material' which is not an electrical conductor and each chamber is preferably in the form of a cylinder having closed ends, through which are extended electrodes e and e. The pipes 6 and 7, as shown in the drawing, connect with the chambers adjacent the electrodes 6. The two vacuum chambers and their connections are alike in construction. Each chamber is surrounded by a jacket 10 having an open end 10*, and a closed end 10".

The pipe 11 is connected to both jackets near their closed ends and a pipe 12 connects the pipe 11, at a point intermediate its ends, with pipes 13 and 14 which lead into the: ends of the vacuum chambers adjacent the electrodes e. In the pipes 13 and 14 are arranged spring-pressed valves 15 and 16, respectively, the tension ofwhich can be adjusted, as desired, by nuts 15*, 16 upon the valve stems.

The outlet ports of the pump cylinder are connected by pipes 17 to a pipe 18 leading to a receiver 19. The electrodes 6' are con- 'nected by conductors 20 to a supply wire 21 which leads from a suitablesource of high tension current. Preferably a direct our rent is employed and this may be derived from a suitable generator of direct current or from alternating currents by means of a suitable rectifier interposed in the circuit. The electrode 6 in the chamber 9, is connect ed by a conductor 22 to a switch arm 23 and the electrode e in the chamber 8 is connected by a conductor 24: to a switch arm 25. The switch arms 23 and 25 are adapted to engage fixed contacts 26 and 27, respectively, which contacts are connected to the supply wire 28, leading from the current source.

The switcharm 23 is normally held in open "position, against a stop 29, by a spring 30,

. by the spring.

and the switch arm 25 is normally held in. open position against a stop 31 by a spring 32. Preferably the switch arms and the contacts are arranged in vessels containing oil, the latter being indicated in the drawings by the dotted lines 33, the purpose of the oil being to extinguish the are which forms when the switch is opened. As oil switches are in common use and well known, they are represented only diagrammatic-ally in the drawings. An adjustable tappet 34, secured to the piston rod 3, is adapted to move the switch arm 23 to closed position when the piston nears one end of its stroke and the tappet passes beyond the switch arm at about the end of the piston stroke, permitting the spring 30 to swing the arm into open position. Similarly, when the piston nears the opposite end of the cylinder the tappet engages the switch arm 25 and moves it into engagement with contact piece 27,. and then passes beyond the switch arm allowing the spring 32to open the switch, In this way the circuits to the electrodes in the vacuum chambers are completed, alternately, near the ends of the piston strokes.

In' operation the spring pressure on the valves 15 and 16, atthe inlet ends of the vacuum chambers, is adjusted so that considerable atmospheric pressure will be required to open the valves. It will be evident that when the piston moves in the direction of the arrow, in the drawing, a partial vacuum will be created in the chamber 8 and air will flow into said chamber from the open end 10 of its surrounding jacket, thence through pipes 11 and 12 and the valve 15 which opens under the pressure of the atmosphere. This fresh charge of air in the chamber 8 will displace the previous charge which flows into the pump cylinder as the new charge enters the vacuum chamber. The air in the chamber 8 will, at all times, be at a pressure considerably under the atmospheric pressure, owing to the fact that the valve 15 is held firmly to its seat- When the piston moves in the direction opposite to that indicated by the arrow in the drawing, the. air drawn into the cylinder from the chamber 8 is expelled through the pipe 17 into a suitable receiver 19 and air from the vacuum chamber 9 is drawn into the cylinder while a fresh charge of air is drawn into the chamher 9 through the open end of its surrounding jacket, pipes 11 and 12, and valve 16. Upon the return stroke of the piston the air drawn" into the cylinder from the vacuum chamber 9 will be expelled through the pipes 17 and 18, It will be evident that the continued operation of the piston will cause fresh charges of air to enter the vacuum chambers 8 and 9, alternately, the air in these chambers being always in an attenuated state, After-a charge of air has been carried into one of the vacuum chambers, say the chamber 8, by one stroke of the piston, the tappet 34 on the piston rod, operates, during the return stroke, the switch arm 25, closing the electric circuit to the electrodes in that'chamber and the electrical discharge takes place between the electrodes which cause the oxygen and nitrogen to combine chemically. The circuit is then broken. During this return stroke of the piston a charge of air'is drawn into the other vacuum chamber 9, and during the next stroke the tappet' operates the switch 23 and an electrical discharge is sentthrough the attenuated air in the chamber 9. During the continued action of the pump piston, the successive charges of air carried intothe vacuum chambers are subjected to an electrical discharge while in the charm bers and they are then drawn out of the chambers and expelled from the pump. In this way each charge of air is separately treated and the current is passed through it, for an interval of time which can be varied by varying the position "of the tappet, and with more eflicient results than can be obtained by an application of the current to a constantly moving stream of air or gas It will be evident from the foregoing that the jackets 10 are desirable in order that the vacuum chambers may be kept cooled by the flow of air over their outer surfaces.

V'Vhat I claim is 1. In an apparatus for the electrical treatment of gases or vapors, a vacuum chamber, means for drawing charges of rarefied gas or vapor into said chamber and for withdrawing said charges therefrom successively and intermittently, and means operating intermittently in synchronism with said first mentioned means, for .passing an electric current through each charge while in said chamber.

2. In an apparatus for the electrical treatment of gases or vapors, avacuum chamber,

means for drawing charges of rarefied gas in said chamber when the circuit is closed,

and means, operating intermittently in syn chronism with said first mentioned m ans, for closing said circuit each time a charge of gas or vapor is drawn into the chamber.

3. In an apparatus for the electrical treatment of gases or vapors, a plurality of vacuum chambers, means for drawing charges of rarefied gas or vapor into said chambers al ternately and for withdrawing said charges therefrom alternately, and means, operating intermittently in synchronism with said first mentioned means, for passing an electric current through each charge while in one of said chambers.

4. In an apparatus for the electrical treatare closed, and means, operating intermit tently in synchronism with said first mentioned means, for closing said circuits a1 ternately.

5. In an apparatus for the electrical treatment of gases or vapors, a vacuum chamber, an exhaust pump connected to said chamber, means for restricting the flow of gas or vapor into said chamber so as to cause a partial vacuum therein, a normally open elect-ric circuit including electrodes arranged to produce an electrical discharge within the chamber, and means operated in synchronism with the movements of the pump piston for closing the circuit at intervals.

-6. In an apparatus for the electrical treatment of gases or vapors, a reciprocating exhaust pump, two vacuum chambers connected, respectively, to opposite ends of. the pump-cylinder, means for restricting the flow of gas or vapor into said chambers so as to cause partial vacua therein, a normally open electric circuit including electrodes arranged to produce electric discharges within the chambers, and means operated in synchronism with the movements of the pump piston for closing said circuits alternately.

In an apparatus for the electrical treatment of gases or vapors, a vacuum chamber, an exhaust pump for drawing the gases or vapors through said chamber, means for restricting the flow of gas or vapor into said chamber to cause a partial vacuum therein, an electric circuit including electrodes arranged to produce an electrical discharge in said chamber, and means operating in synchronism with the pump for passing an electrical current through said circuit at intervals. p

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM T. HOOFNAGLE. Witnesses:

ROBERT WATSON, C. F. FROTHINGHAM. 

